X - A Survival Guide to Toads and Kanimas
by TweetyGhost
Summary: No one had expected the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher to be such an issue, but Professor Dolores Umbridge appears to be the worst kind of teacher Hogwarts could have. Yet, a Kanima also stalks the lives of some, meaning that there's a mystery to be solved. And a prank war. Hogwarts is going to be busy. [Not working on it at the moment]
1. Stiles: Memories and Thoughts

Stiles couldn't sleep. The heat was pressing in on him, making him feel decidedly uncomfortable, despite the little fan sitting on his desk, trying its best to cool down the air which was sneaking in through the open windows.

But it wasn't the only thing preventing him from sleeping. He could hear his father pacing in his room, mumbling occasionally so as to voice ideas; to figure out the wording of them before he could think about them. His dad's footsteps were even, a steady constant as he made his way along the wall and back again, for a few moments before they'd stop, making silence fall over the house. The silence would feel all-encompassing for a few seconds before his father would let out an exasperated grunt, and then the pacing would resume – with only a few muttered curse words as paper was scrunched up and thrown carelessly towards the bin, letting out a metal _ting_ almost every time to show that the ball had found its target.

Stiles sighed once the pacing had resumed, and looked over at his clock. It was only three in the morning. That meant it was too late for there to be anything decent on the TV, and too early to get up and find something to do before he could get Scott.

He closed his eyes, deciding to try and let the memories of the previous year wash over him.

He watched as the scenes played out on his eyelids. Getting to make new friends; teasing Hope about being friends with Beauxbatons boys; placing bets with the Weasley twins; trying to help Scott figure out how to ask Allison to the Yule Ball; dancing with Lydia. He allowed the happiness of the memories to wash over him, to build in his chest until he seemed to forget about his inability to sleep, certain that if he didn't think about it sleep would finally wash over him.

But his mind was active now, and instead of a simple replay of all the good things he couldn't help but think. And the darkness of the year pushed the images aside.

The Triwizard Tournament was meant to have been fun. It was meant to have entertained the three schools with some friendly competition, not send the wizarding world hurtling into turmoil. It wasn't meant to end with Harry Potter telling them all that He Who Must Not Be Named had returned. It hadn't meant to end with people stating he was just an attention seeker, while rekindling fear in others.

Yet, Stiles' mind reeled with the effect that it might have on the Muggle world as well. What would it mean for them? For his dad?

But, the other memories pushed the wonderings aside, though they didn't lift his spirits. Scott being bitten by Peter; trying to help Scott through the transformations; Lydia being attacked; seeing Hope broken by the loss of her childhood friend; his dad's injury.

Stiles quickly opened his eyes, trying to force the bad memories away. He tried to focus on the plan for the day ahead. Meeting Scott to get their school things. A trip to Diagon Alley was always a welcome distraction. It reminded Stiles of his mother, of the times they'd spent together looking through all the shops when his dad was working. His mind wandered to if their parents would join them, though Stiles knew they wouldn't. His dad was too busy with another murder case in Beacon Hills to worry about the magic world, while Melissa was working a few extra shifts at St Mingo's to try and earn some extra money.

Stiles didn't know when exactly sleep had washed over him, but he was woken by a knocking on his bedroom door. He groaned before slowly rolling over to look at his clock. Panic washed over him, and he sat bolt upright, his mind reeling. It was half eleven.

'Yeah?' Stiles asked groggily as he rubbed his forefingers across his eyelids to get rid of the sleep that had clustered in the corners of his eyes.

His dad pushed the door open, and Stiles noticed that he looked as though he'd barely slept. There was a slight frown on his face, and his attention only appeared to half be on Stiles. His pale blue eyes were slightly glazed, yet Stiles could practically see the cogs in his brain whirling away on the latest case despite his attempts to focus on his home life as well.

'You okay, kiddo?' DCI Stilinski asked, rubbing a hand absently over his lightly stubble covered chin.

Stiles stifled a yawn as he nodded. 'Yeah, I just overslept slightly is all.'

His dad nodded, the slightest flicker of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. 'You still going out today?'

Stiles thought for a moment, wondering if there was any point. A slight worry bubbled in the pit of his stomach; a concern that Scott might've decided they weren't going and had made other plans. But Stiles nodded, he needed the little excursion, and he was certain Scott would still be up for it.

'Yeah, it'll be for the best,' he said as he slipped off of his bed.

His dad made a sound of agreement before glancing at his watch. 'Look, I've gotta go. I'll be back late. D'you mind picking up something for dinner as well?' he asked, shifting his weight between his feet for a moment, his attention finally falling on Stiles completely.

'The outrage,' said Stiles dramatically, smirking over at his dad. His father let out a slight chuckle, a genuine smile settling onto his weary features, before Stiles turned around to sort his clothes out in his wardrobe. 'Na, I don't mind. Have a good day at work, Dad.'

'Oh,' his dad said, as though something had just struck him. Stiles grunted slightly to let him know that he was still listening. 'D'you know –' Stiles heard the distinct sound of his dad flicking through his notepad '– a boy by the name of Isaac Lahey?'

Stiles thought for a moment. The name sounded slightly familiar – was there an Isaac in his Potions class? – before shrugging slightly. 'Possibly from school, how comes?'

His father sighed, closing the book with a snap. 'Doesn't matter.'

Stiles carried on sorting his clothes out, but he knew his father was still in the doorway. Stiles could feel his eyes on the back of his neck, making him fumble with the flannel shirts. He chucked one onto his bed before wandering over to the chest of drawers.

'Stiles?' his dad asked, but there was something cautious about it which made the hairs on the back of Stiles' neck stand up. Stiles was also certain that the temperature in the room had dropped significantly at the simple question. He tried to shake the feeling off, to no avail though.

Stiles glanced around at his dad. He could almost feel the panic rising in his chest, like when people filled kettles up. 'Yeah?' he asked tentatively, his eyes darting across his dad's face to try and figure out what had gotten to him.

His dad sighed, rubbing his right hand across his mouth. Stiles watched as his father moved his hand to rub the right side of his jaw just below his ear. It was a nervous tic that his dad had, one that often preceded an idea he wasn't sure if Stiles would like or not, but needed to voice. Yet, there was something different about it this time. Something that Stiles couldn't quite place, much to his irritation.

'Could you drop in on Hope before you leave?' his dad asked, and Stiles felt his heart clench slightly.

He paused for a moment, his hands halfway between the top of his desk and his sock drawer.

Stiles had been trying to get hold of Hope for the best part of the holidays, despite Scott telling him to back off slightly. He'd been worried about her to say the least. But, the fact that his dad was suggesting it was the thing which set his nerves on edge.

'Of-of course,' he said, resuming to sort out his clothes.

'Thank you, Stiles,' his dad said softly, before Stiles heard him hit the doorframe lightly and start off down the hallway.

'Oh,' his dad called a few moments later. Stiles was just about to enter the bathroom, but he knew his dad was at the front door. 'Have fun at Dianalley.'

The door was pulled shut just as Stiles sighed, a smirk settling quickly onto his face as he muttered: 'Diagon Alley.'

It didn't take Stiles long to get dressed and grab a couple of biscuits for breakfast. What took up a majority of his time was finding his door keys – which he'd been using as a bookmark in some Muggle history book he'd borrowed from the library for some summer reading. When he eventually found them he stuffed them into the top pocket of his flannel shirt as he scanned the work surfaces for his letter. He slowly twirled his wand around his fingers, mentally complaining that he couldn't yet viably use magic outside of school so as to summon it.

His mind then wandered to all the things he'd be able to do when that fateful day came. The way he might be able to help his dad with cases. How easy the household chores would be. How he'd be able to–

The doorbell cut his thoughts off though, making him jump. All his muscles tensed, but he slowly snuck into the hallway, uncertain to why he felt so on edge. He held his wand tightly by his side, deciding this might warrant self-defence if it came down to it.

A sigh of relief escaped him though as he noticed the silhouette on the glass. He mentally cursed himself for being so jumpy as he pulled the door open, a smile slipping quickly onto his face.

Scott McCall was standing on the front porch, a bright smirk on his face. His eyes were darting across his friend, as if trying to determine his mood simply by looking at him. Stiles noticed, however, that despite everything that had happened there was still the familiar gleam of happiness behind his friend's eyes. One that he felt certain would never disappear. The one that always settled Stiles.

Scott made a show of glancing at his watch, evidentially he'd realised that Stiles had overslept. Stiles, however, quickly shifted so as to look through the pile of post on the small hallway table, looking for his letter.

'I was beginning to think you'd bailed on me,' said Scott, and Stiles heard the soft creak of wood as his friend lent against the doorframe. He could practically envision the smirk deepening at the teasing comment though, but he carried on with his search.

'What makes you think I haven't?' Stiles asked, thumbing through a pile of empty envelopes to no avail.

'Hm,' said Scott thoughtfully, and Stiles spared him a quick glance. The other boy was frowning slightly, running a hand across his slightly uneven jaw. Stiles smirked to himself before resuming the search. 'Because if you didn't come I'd have to drag Derek along with me. I'm sure he'd help me pick up some werewolf essentials.'

The simple comment caught Stiles off guard, and he froze. Worry pumped through him at the mere prospect of the werewolf. A shiver ran down his spine. It wasn't that he didn't like Derek Hale _because_ he was a werewolf, as most did, it was because of the trouble that he'd caused Scott over the past year. The fact that he creeped the hell out of Stiles, and he only heard the stories from Scott most of the time. It was mainly, however, the fact that there always appeared to be an ulterior motive with him if he ever agreed to a favour. And the fact that the guy never appeared to have smiled in his life – Stiles had decided a long time ago never to trust a person like that.

'You go straight for him rather than H, or the twins, or someone halfway freaking normal?' Stiles asked, his eyes catching the corner of the list. He pulled the yellowing parchment roughly from its pile before looking over at Scott, finally ready for them to go on their excursion.

His friend's jaw was more prominently askew, his mouth scrunched to one side. He had one eyebrow raised slightly disbelievingly. But the entertained glint still shone brightly behind his eyes.

'Halfway normal?' Scott asked, the amused lilt evident behind his voice as he backed up a few paces so that Stiles could leave the house.

Stiles shrugged, crumpling the coffee stained letter into his pocket with one hand as he locked the door with the other. 'Halfway _freaking_ normal,' he corrected with a slight smirk.

Scott shook his head slightly, but there was a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

'Anyway,' said Stiles as they began down the garden path, 'you know what I mean.'

Scott sighed, and Stiles noticed that he slumped slightly.

Stiles knew he'd complained about the werewolf too often; knew that Scott knew exactly where he stood on the issue. He also knew that Scott wasn't going to try and find their ex-Professor Lupin to help instead because he had his own little werewolf dictionary in Beacon Hills – one who'd been born which seemed to make him more of an expert in Scott's eyes. He also knew that Scott being Scott he felt as though he could help Derek with any issues which now came his way _because_ of the help he'd given him. Stiles sighed; Scott was sometimes too decent for his own good.

'Anyway,' said Scott as they wound their way towards the little green near the ice rink, their usual waiting place as they finally figured out a plan of action, 'Derek's not all bad.'

'Yeah, neither was Darth Vader,' retorted Stiles in a neutral tone, but a grin slipped easily onto his face.

The reference, however, fell short with Scott, who merely looked confused. Stiles sighed exasperatedly at the reaction, throwing his hands up in irritation. He allowed them to fall down to his sides, hitting his thighs lightly.

'Seriously?' he asked, to which Scott merely nodded as they reached their usual bench. 'And this is why I like having H around.'

Stiles leant back on the bench, his heart tightened slightly as a new wave of worry for Hope washed over him. He tried to focus on the surrounding area to settle himself instead.

The bench was on the side of the green that looked across to the ice cream man's van, which was going about his lunchtime trade with a wide smile and a deep, booming voice which was surprisingly soothing as he joked around with the local kids, making them squeal in laughter as he handed over the cones. The little fountain in the middle of the green was working for once, but only just. There was a slight dribble of water running over the smooth granite. Stiles had never been able to place what the statue was meant to be, just that it was the epitome of ugly modern art.

Jackson was striding across the green with Danny close to his side. They appeared to be in a deep conversation about something, and Jackson appeared to glance around slightly worriedly every so often, as if afraid that they might be overheard; there was something oddly satisfying about seeing Jackson Whittmore looking nervous for Stiles, and he felt a slight smirk slipping onto his face. Allison and Lydia were slowly winding their way towards the local movie rental shop, a short distance away from the boys. There was a wide smile on Lydia's face as she let out a tinkling laugh that seemed too forced. Stiles noticed that her eyes darted towards Jackson slightly, but that Allison's attention was slightly concerned, her eyes quickly finding Scott though, who waved towards her with a slightly reassuring smile.

The thing which seemed to allow the worry to build once more, however, was the fact that just next to the ice rink to their left, was the end of Hope's road. Stiles' attention remained focused on that, as if willing her to finally have left the house. Willing the older girl to turn up randomly to join in with their little exertion, like she normally did. But, he knew it wouldn't happen. It was the beginning of August but they'd barely seen her. According to Oliver, on the occasions that the duo had gone to the Wood household to check up on her, she hadn't really left her room. By the sounds of it she spent a lot of time reading, refusing to talk about Cedric, her childhood best friend, and instead spewed out random facts that she'd learnt as a way of avoiding any talk of her fellow Hufflepuff.

'Or does H simply humour you?' Scott asked, giving Stiles' shoulder a light squeeze.

Stiles scoffed slightly, rolling his eyes as a weak smile slipped onto his face. 'You do know she's the one who recommended it, right?'

Scott laughed, nodding slightly as he leant back on the bench, resting his arms on the back of the thing, his attention flicking back towards Allison for a moment.

Stiles watched the two girls for a moment. He wasn't too surprised by the fact that Lydia had bounced back as quickly as she had done. If it wasn't for the cautious glances from a few of their fellow Hogwarts students – as there appeared to be an abundance of Hogwarts students in Beacon Hills – Stiles would have forgiven himself for thinking that the horrors of the previous year had been a nightmare.

'Hey, can we go see Hope?' Stiles asked, his hand moving quickly to rub the nape of his neck worriedly. 'Dad asked if we could check up on her. And, I mean, we haven't been in a while. Oliver might've managed to get her out of her room for longer than three seconds. And we could see if she –'

'I think that's a brilliant idea,' Scott interrupted his best friend's babbling in a light voice.

The calmness appeared to snap Stiles out of his worry, but his mind was still reeling. His stomach clenched slightly as nerves crept up on him. He wanted to see the old Hope, or at least a flicker of her. He wanted to make sure that she knew they were there for her, no matter what she needed. He wanted to help her laugh again, to try and take away some of the pain. But he doubted they'd even see her. He was almost certain that they'd get brushed off by a tired looking Oliver before they set off shopping. It was this thought that swirled around his mind as the duo slowly stood up, preparing to wander towards their friend's house.

 _This was just to see if people were interested in the idea - the update won't be for a while - but yeah, let me know what you think of it :) Hope you enjoy._


	2. Hope: A Little Excursion

The sounds of children enjoying the summer sun drifted in through the open window of the Wood household. They were giggling, the sound changing as they chased each other around the gardens. The occasional sound of a hosepipe being used cut through them though, causing their laughter to turn to squeals of excitement. The odd lawnmower's roar underlined the sounds though as people tried their best to get the gardening done before the heat got too much as the weathermen had predicted that the heatwave was only going to get worse.

Hope, however, was curled on the corner of her bed, buried in her latest book about volcanoes and ignoring the sounds drifting in through her window.

The doorbell rang, causing her to jump slightly. She looked around her room, blinking the real world into a proper focus. She frowned, glancing at her closed door and hoping that someone else would get it.

But then it dawned on her. She was home alone. The realisation washed over her as she rolled her eyes. Her mum had been called back to work because of the latest murder case to engage the Beacon Hills Police Station; her dad had been called away to get the latest scoop from the Quidditch players, down the local pub much to his amusement; and Oliver was doing some training with his new Quidditch team.

She sighed before turning her attention back to the book.

The bell rang out once more though, and she barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes.

'H, we know you're in there,' a voice said, causing Hope's eyes to widen slightly. It was Stiles; which could only mean that Scott was there too.

She glanced semi-accusingly at her open window, as if that were how they'd known she was in.

A picture caught her eye though before she could come up with a viable plan for having ignored them. Her heart sank. It was the last picture she'd had taken with Cedric. He'd finished the First Task, and Hope being Hope had snuck into where the Champions were waiting after they'd finished. It practically summed up their sixteen years of friendship. She'd run over to hug him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he held her close, chuckling into her hair. She moved away no more than a moment later though, ruffling his hair and poking her tongue out at him, to which he merely rolled his eyes, a smirk lighting his face though. It was a picture that Matt Daehler had managed to take, and one which Cedric had brought off of him for her birthday.

Hope could feel the tears prickling her eyes as Scott's defeated voice floated in through the window: 'Come one, Stiles, we'd best–'

A resolve settled in the pit of Hope's stomach, and she cut her friend short by jumping up so as to lean on the windowsill, peeking out at the duo. She had her hands planted firmly on either side of the photograph, a slight smile slipping onto her face as the boys looked up. She noticed that something of relief crossed their faces, smiles creeping onto their faces as well.

'What's the plan of action then?' she asked, grimacing slightly as she noticed the slight crack to her voice halfway through. She cleared her throat, blinking hard in an attempt to banish the tears.

'Diagon Alley,' said Stiles simply, rubbing a hand absently over the nape of his neck.

Hope frowned in mock contemplation, her mind was already made up though, before ducking away from them so as to search her room for a pen and paper. She could her them calling up to her questioningly, but she was determined that she was going to go shopping with them, figuring it would be what Cedric wanted her to do; to try and get back to normal.

'Aha,' she mumbled, finding a pen down the side of her bed. She scribbled down an explanatory note for her family on the back of an old receipt she'd found on her floor before pulling open her bedroom door and practically bounding down the stairs.

She stopped at the front door though, catching sight of her reflection in the mirror. There was a slightly red rim around her dark brown irises. There were slightly black circles under her eyes, that contrasted greatly with her pale skin, which seemed to have grown fairer with the lack of sunlight over the holidays. Her cheeks looked slightly more sunken than normal, and her stomach growled in realisation of the lack of food that she'd eaten. She also noticed that her hair was in an unusually tame ponytail, but the strands falling to her shoulders looked a few shades darker than normal due to grease.

She shook her head slightly; the boys would accept her still needing to get ready. She hoped they'd just be glad that she was finally talking to them rather than sending her brother to give them some tired old excuse with a simple call through the door.

She wrenched the door open. She barely had a moment to greet the two boys before they'd pulled her into a tight group hug. The human contact appeared to settle her slightly, and the pain eased up – if only a little. Her mind wondered though. Was it because of Scott's new powers or was it simply something about being with friends that had calmed her? She couldn't tell, but she was glad for it either way.

Eventually they pulled away, and she noticed that both of their gazes flickered across her features worriedly.

'So, we're going shopping then?' she asked, shifting aside so they could enter the house, trying to ignore their lingering gazes and the slight sideways look they'd shared before walking into the hallway.

Scott nodded. 'Thought we could get our school stuff before the rush.'

Hope scoffed, shutting the door behind Stiles. 'It's always a rush,' she said simply as she followed them into the living room. 'But, I guess it might be slightly less hectic this time of day.' Her eyes flickered up to the clock on the mantel piece.

Siles slumped into his usual armchair, the one closest to the window, and Hope resisted the urge to grin like an idiot at the familiarity of it. There was something weary about his expression though as his attention returned to her. It was as if he were trying to figure out how to pick up something fragile without breaking it. She could practically see the question 'Are you alright with the whole Cedric situation?' dancing on the tip of his tongue. A question he was probably bursting to ask.

'I'll be half an hour, max. And then I'm good to go,' she said, sending them what she hoped was a reassuring smile as she danced slightly nervously in the doorway. 'You know where everything is,' she said, before darting out of the room and starting up the stairs, calling a quick, 'Try not to break anything,' as she was halfway up though, a smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth.

She heard Scott agree to the comment before Stiles gasped dramatically. The two boys chuckled though, making her realise how nice it was to have them around once more.

A warmth course through Hope at the sound while she set about getting her things ready. And, for the first time in a while, her heart felt as though it had lifted. She was comforted slightly by the prospect of being with friends. She'd been thankful for the space that they'd given her, but she was happier they were there for her now. There to help her try to regain a sense of normality despite the gaping hole that had formed in her life.

When she was eventually ready Hope surveyed her reflection once more. There was a slightly brighter glint behind her dark brown eyes, and her dark brown hair looked as thick and unmanageable as she was used to. There was a slight rosiness to her pale cheeks, but it only made her freckles seem all the more visible. It was something which Cedric had once teased her for. The fact that she looked even younger when she blushed – much to his amusement when he asked about her crushes.

She shook her head and grabbed a bag before descending to the living room. The boys had been having a quiet conversation when she entered, but fell silent almost instantly. She realised that smiles quickly slipped onto their faces, and they shared an odd look that she couldn't quite place.

'Shall we go then?' she asked, walking towards the fireplace.

'Sounds like a plan,' Stiles said, practically jumping up as he clapped his hands together once.

Hope smirked as she picked up the little pot of Floo Powder from the mantelpiece. 'Actually,' she said as she offered the stuff to Scott, 'it sounds like a question to me.'

Scott sniggered as he took a handful of the green powder. 'She's got a point,' he admitted, stepping over the grate. His attention was on Stiles, and when Hope spared the other boy a glance she noticed that his jaw was slightly slack.

'Oh, ha, ha,' he said, sounding thoroughly unimpressed though as he folded his arms across his chest. 'Very funny, H.'

'I know; I try,' she said, winking over at Scott, just before he muttered the address and disappeared in a cloud of green.

Stiles rolled his eyes at her, but there was still that slight wariness about his expression. He shifted forward quickly though, grabbed some Floo Powder, and followed Scott's lead with a slight smile at Hope.

Hope swiftly followed the boys, but when she arrived at the Leaky Cauldron she barely missed stumbling into Stiles. She gripped the back of the nearest chair though, only to come face to face with the unimpressed scowl of Nieve Blanche. Hope, who normally wasn't fazed by the Slytherin, saw a mildly supressed disgust behind her eyes as she realised who it was that had disturbed her conversation with some burley looking Slytherin lads. Hope shifted backwards quickly, releasing the wood as if it had burnt her.

'Easy there, H,' she heard Scott say as he caught her before she could fall over something else. 'So,' he said as he let go of her, a bright smirk settling onto his face as she heard Stiles snigger to one side of her, 'where to first?'

Hope shrugged slightly, glancing over at Stiles. This had to have been his plan, therefore she was letting him lead the way.

He smiled before patting Scott lightly on the back, and leading him towards the back of the pub, towards Diagon Alley.

Hope had already slipped her wand out of her sleeve when they reached the back wall. She rubbed the back of her head in confusion though, looking at the duo with a slight frown. 'See, I can never remember,' she said simply, scanning the wall as if hoping it might reveal the answers, 'is it two up or three?'

'You've done this how many times before, again H?' Stiles asked with a slight sigh, just as the door from the pub was opened again.

Hope had barely turned around before she was pulled into a familiar hug. The smell of smoke from constant potion brewing clung to the material of Lee Jordan's clothes, no matter how much aftershave he slapped on in an attempt to mask it. There was also the way in which he seemed to clasp his hands together on the small of her back that was signature Lee.

She chuckled into his shoulder, just as someone ruffled her hair.

When she eventually pulled away, noticing that Lee's hand lingered slightly worriedly on her forearm before he backed away, she noticed that he had Sophia Draconis and Kenneth Towler with him.

Hope had barely got to glance at the duo before Sophia pulled her into a tight hug. But she had noticed that the taller girl looked as glamorous as ever. Her strawberry-blonde hair was up in an intricate looking set of plaits, her fringe just hiding her eyebrows though. For once, however, her dark green eyes had been framed by a set of sleek silver-framed glasses.

When Sophia finally pulled away Hope was able to take in the appearance of Kenneth. He looked about as gloomy as normal. The corner of his mouth was slightly up though, as if in a partial smile, yet it didn't quite reach his pale blue eyes. There seemed to be something slightly less harsh about his features in the dim light of the alley though, but Hope couldn't quite place her finger on what.

'How are you?' Sophia asked, just as Lee shifted past them so as to sort the wall out, not without patting Scott and Stiles on the back as he did so though.

Hope's stomach dropped slightly. There it was; the unavoidable question. She knew that Sophia was asking about how she was considering the little trip was lacking Cedric, rather than the question in general. She knew that this would be the year's repeating question. The thing that would underline her final year, coupled with the pitying looks. The reassurances that he'd died a hero. The glass-like treatment that she'd be faced with as people tried to tiptoe around her, rather than trying to help her overcome the whole thing.

Yet Hope was determined to sweep over that as best she could, and instead focused on the question as a general one.

She took a deep breath, mentally cursing herself as she realised the waver to it. 'Well, thanks; and you?' she said.

Worry was building inside of her though as the wall peeled itself away from them so as to reveal the familiar alleyway. But she could feel her throat seeming to dry. Tears pricked behind her eyes once more. Her chest felt as though there were a snake tightening its grip around her.

'Hey,' said Stiles lightly, slipping his hand into hers and giving it a quick, reassuring squeeze.

Hope looked up at him quickly. He gave her a reassuring smile; his expression seemed to have softened to one that showed his true concern, the one that had taken over his face over the past year whenever he was talking about Scott and the bite.

Stiles quickly grinned around at the others. 'Who'd you think'll be our Defence teacher this year?'

The simple question sent the group into a quick rambling of ideas. Everyone was talking over each other, trying to compile a decent theory without really taking other things into account.

Hope remained silent though, her eyes darting around the shops as she tried to focus her attention on something else for a moment, to rid her eyes of the tears. She could feel Stiles rubbing her knuckles lightly, a calming technique that Cedric had figure out when they were only little.

'Reckon it'll be the _real_ Moody?' asked Sophia, eventually taking lead of the conversation.

'Na,' said Kenneth simply, shaking his head despite how Sophia couldn't see him. 'I think the curse of the place is they can only hold the job for a year.'

'But Moody didn't do his year,' said Stiles simply.

'He's got a point,' seconded Scott, nodding slightly to reaffirm the point to those that could see him.

'For once,' Hope joked, giving Stiles' hand a slight squeeze in thanks before letting go so as to walk beside Lee. 'What about another Auror?'

Sophia scoffed slightly, glancing around at the others for a moment before swiftly changing course to enter Flourish and Blotts. She continued the conversation as she walked though, forcing the others to follow. 'I doubt that. No one in their right mind wants the job now.'

'So, we're getting your grandad then?' said a cool voice, making the group jump slightly.

Wester Becker was leaning against one of the bookshelves, scratching his chin as he surveyed the group. His dark hair was as unruly as normal, and Hope noticed that there seemed to be a few extra scars littering the tanned skin of his face and arms. There was a familiar jovial glint behind his pale green eyes though, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Hope noticed that Sophia's eyes appeared to darken significantly in annoyance as she glared at the boy. She jutted her chin out slightly, reminding Hope of her friend's Slytherin roots. There was something of distaste about her expression, as if there was something nasty smelling right under her nose, which seemed identical to the look that her cousin Nieve had shot at Hope.

'My grandfather,' she said coolly, she was speaking slowly, as if talking to a small child that didn't understand the point, 'is not fit to be shaping the minds of the next generation of witches and wizards.' Her tone lifted quickly as she spoke, a grin slipping onto her face as she pulled the Hufflepuff into a welcoming hug.

Lee appeared to shiver, but there was a smirk on his face. 'I was seriously beginning to worry our resident Snake had turned to the dark side,' he said as she finally pulled away from Wester.

The group chuckled at that, other than Sophia who pouted at him and made to hit him around the back of the head.

'Personally,' came the drawling voice of Jackson, pulling all attention towards him. The little group groaned in unison as they turned to face him. There was a somewhat smug smile on his face, as if he was proud of himself for having gained all of their attentions. 'I think it should be someone as respectable as that.'

'What's he doing here?' Stiles complained, his eyes narrowing on Jackson in irritation as he rubbed the nape of his neck.

'Trying to be a pain?' said Hope simply.

She noticed that Sophia's eyes were narrowed dangerously as she ranted about all that was wrong with her family, and Jackson for that matter if he agreed with them. Lee was close beside her, trying to calm her down with a few mumbled comments and the slight grazing of his hand against the back of hers.

'Well, he's certainly succeeding,' said Scott simply.

'D'you reckon he gets paid for it?' Stiles asked, tilting his head slightly as his gaze flickered across the others. Hope looked over to them as well. Jackson appeared to be being worn down by the sheer number of competitors.

'Well,' he said simply, trying to square up to Wester, who merely looked unimpressed with the attempt, 'at least if he was there we'd have a halfway decent teacher. Other than Professor Snape, of course.' And, with that, he skulked off.

'Jumped up little whelp,' said Sophia darkly, her eyes narrowed at his back.

'Come on,' said Lee lightly, patting her on the back slightly in a way which made Hope smirk over at Kenneth, who had rolled his eyes at the gesture, 'we'd best go get our books.'

They quickly set about looking for their own books, a few of them glancing down at their lists while others simply seemed to know what they needed. Stiles followed Hope though, a slight frown on his face as she pulled out an Ancient Runes books.

'What is your plan after leaving again?' he asked, glancing down at his own list.

Hope paused, a slight frown slipping onto her face. The question had stumped her. With everything that had happened she hadn't really spared a moment's thought to the future. Sure, she'd told Professor Sprout in fifth year about her desire to work in wand lore, if Mr Ollivander had needed an extra hand, but since everything last year she'd pushed the idea aside.

'Who knows?' she said simply, frowning slightly as she pushed herself away from the shelves, and tried to focus on getting her books. 'I gotta pass this year first.'


	3. George: Final Year Ideas

'Well, what d'you think?' asked Fred, shifting the piece of parchment across the bed and towards George.

George put a hand up as he finished shading the latest drawing. After a few moments he looked up at his twin, idly twirling the pencil as he did so. Fred nodded to the list, and George glanced at it, skimming over the newest names. Every so often one would catch his eye, and he'd smirk.

When he reached the final one he looked back up at Fred. His brother was leaning forward expectantly, drumming a nervous tune on the back of one hand.

'I think,' said George slowly, savouring the possibility of teasing Fred. He paused for a moment, flickering his gaze over the list once more. He stilled the pencil so as to point towards one of the names, slowly looking back up at Fred. 'Canary Cremes would be better than Canary Custards.' He felt a smile grow on his face as Fred rolled his eyes, correcting the name though.

'Think Lee'll still be alright to help brew?' asked George as Fred seemed to add another title to the list.

'Think he'd kill us if we didn't ask him to help,' said Fred, chuckling slightly.

George nodded, chuckling as well. He could just picture Lee's eyes narrowing when he realised they'd brewed something without his help. The other boy would more than likely lecture them – reminding them what had happened the last time they brewed something without him – before laughing as they invited him along for another prank.

'D'you think we should write to Hope again?' George asked lightly, his thoughts wandering towards their other best friend.

Fred didn't respond straight away as he swiped his wand off of the bedside cabinet, a slight contemplative frown on his face. George watched as he flicked it simply, sending the latest product lists and drawings flying towards his open trunk in front of the wardrobe. With another flick he sent a few of the pencils and quills which littered his bed hurtling towards the thing; they all landed softly on top of his robes.

Fred looked as though he were about to respond, when a tapping on the windowpane made them both jump slightly.

George frowned, but a relief washed over him as he noticed the little barn owl perched on the windowsill. There was a fading yellow ribbon tied into a neat bow around the letter attached to its leg, making Barney instantly recognisable to the twins.

'Looks like someone finally bothered to respond to her friends.' But despite the teasing nature of Fred's comment, George could hear the concern behind his voice.

George stood up, he heard the springs in the mattress creak but ignored it. He made his way over to the window, glancing back at Fred as he raised an eyebrow.

Worry began to settle in the pit of George's stomach. While they'd been able to settle Hope slightly while at Hogwarts, since she'd returned home she seemed to have stopped all contact with everyone. They'd even sent an owl to Stiles to try and find out what was going on, but he simply told them that Oliver was bearing the brunt of everything by the sounds of things. The worry came from the fact that her owl was now waiting to be let into their room. Had Hope really sent it, or had Oliver nicked him like he sometimes did?

George shook his head slightly before heaving open the window, standing slightly to one side.

Barney swooped in, landing on the end of Fred's bed in a swift movement. He folded his wings in quickly, his head swivelling around excitably.

'Hey, buddy,' said George softly, moving towards the owl with his hand extended towards it.

The owl's attention quickly turned towards him, the yellow eyes resting on George in a somewhat piercing stare. Barney gave out a contented hoot before sticking his leg out.

George grinned, rubbing the owl's head affectionately as he untied the ribbon. He draped the thing over his arm, making sure that Barney knew they still needed him.

'Well?' asked Fred, jumping off the bed so as to read over George's shoulder.

 _What's the plan then, boys?_ (it said in Hope's familiarly artistic looking scribble) _I mean, we're heading into our final year after all. You always said you wanted to leave with a bang._

 _Anyway, I would respond to your letters – thanks for them by the way – but there seems like no point as I'll catch you on the train tomorrow to think of a plan of action._

 _So, usual carriage?_

 _H_

Then, underneath it there was a little hastily drawn picture. It was a stick figure eating something. They were grinning brightly, before there was a little puff of smoke and they were replaced with a small bird, question marks floating around the head. A moment later it turned back into a person, looking bewildered before eating again.

The duo chuckled, and Fred fell back onto his bed, reaching over to scratch Barney under the chin.

'Well,' he said slowly, his attention on Barney who appeared to be leaning into the scratch, 'I reckon we've got Stilinski and McCall to thank for H being back to normal.'

George nodded, scribbling down a quick reply: _You tell us, H. And of course the usual one, wouldn't want to disappoint the Marauders after so long, now would we? – G._

'And it looks like she got around to reading all the letters,' George said, passing the pencil and parchment to Fred. 'Wonder if she actually brought the biscuits.'

Fred shrugged, scribbling his own response at the bottom of George's, before pulling the ribbon off his arm. 'Guess we'll find out tomorrow,' he said simply, tying the letter back onto Barney's leg, which the owl had extended out; his chest was puffed out proudly.

But the owl didn't budge, even when Fred nudged him slightly.

George groaned, realisation washing over him. 'He wants treat.'

Fred frowned at the owl, placing his hands on his hips. He reminded George slightly of their mother when she was telling them off, but severely less stern.

'Barn, you know we don't have anything for you,' he said simply.

Barney hooted indignantly though, giving his wings a slight flap.

'Nip H so she gives you two when you get back.'

If it was possible for an owl to scowl, George was pretty sure that was what Barney was doing as he looked between the two of them slowly.

Fred was already untying the letter though. He mumbled as he wrote: 'And H, give your owl more treats so he doesn't try scrounging off us.'

He rolled the note up, putting the pencil in his mouth as he did so, before tying it back onto Barney's leg. He then carried the owl over to the window.

'So,' said George, as Barney swept off into the dusk with a slightly irritated screech, 'what _is_ the plan?'

George pulled open the compartment door, grinning as he noticed Barney's cadge on the seat in one corner, the owl was asleep with his head under his wing. George looked over his shoulder to smirk at Fred before walking into the compartment, waving his wand idly to send his case to the luggage rack before he slumped into the window seat opposite Barney.

It was their little carriage, or at least it certainly had begun to feel like that over their time at Hogwarts. He and Fred had ran into the compartment in their first year as an attempt to hide from Percy, moments after their older brother had found the newts' eyes they'd filled his pockets with. The duo, however, had practically fallen into the laps of the people there though, the Woods, a few older kids that Oliver knew, and Lee.

George ran his thumbnail over the familiar carving in the wall. The Marauders had done it, and as such it always made them realise just how similar their little group appeared to be to the older generation of pranksters.

The door being pulled open made George look towards it quickly, noticing Fred slump onto the seat beside Barney.

'G'morning ladies,' said Lee.

There was a bright smile on his face as he dragged the suitcase into the compartment. Hope was just behind him, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she glanced between the twins.

'Miss us?' she asked as Lee sent his case into the luggage rack and she slipped into the seat beside Fred.

'No,' said George simply, watching as Lee collapsed into the seat beside him, a slight look of hurt crossing his features.

Hope gasped dramatically, looking to Lee for assistance as the train began to move.

'Nope, not at all,' added Fred, though there was a smirk on his face as Hope pulled him into a hug.

'You want a hug too, Lee?' George queried, moving closer to Lee, his arms outstretched.

Lee, however, shook his head, attempting to move away from George who seemed determined to pull his friend into a tight hug. Lee tried to hit George's arms away from him, but was having little success. George was vaguely aware of the other two laughing, and spared them a glance to see that they were watching the little show, bright smiles lighting their faces.

Eventually George settled back into his seat, winking over at Hope though as he poked a finger into Barney's cadge, the owl having woken up so as to hoot at the goings on. Lee remained on edge for a few moments, jumping at the slightest movement that George made, before settling into his seat with a slight sigh of relief.

Yet, after a few minutes of calm, Fred moving so as to get the latest shop plans out to show the others, George surprise hugged Lee, sending the compartment into a fit of laughter.

'Anyway,' George managed to spit out after a while, clapping so as to try and calm himself down. But, just as he was about to continue, he caught Fred's eye and another bout of laughter started up.

'So,' said Hope a little while later, when the dull ache of laughter had made itself known in George's ribs, 'you were trying to say, G?'

George cleared his throat, about to explain their latest idea for the products, when the compartment door was pulled open, cutting him short.

Scott and Stiles tumbled in, Stiles almost falling headfirst into Barney's cadge – only to be stopped by Fred catching him by the collar. Scott, on the other hand, straightened himself quickly, and managed to turn around to pull the door closed. He let out a sigh of relief as he sunk into the seat beside Lee.

'How nice of you two to drop in,' said George, smirking slightly as Stiles rubbed down the front of his jacket.

'What happened?' asked Fred, casting a scrutinising eye over the duo.

George followed his twin's lead. He noticed that Stiles was panting slightly, rubbing the nape of his neck nervously. By comparison Scott was frowning, running a hand through his hair as he appeared unable to meet the eyes of the others.

Scott quickly looked towards Stiles, and there was a slightly panicked look about the boy's puppy-eyes. George could've sworn that the younger boy's attention flickered quickly towards Hope though before he finally looked at Fred.

'I just got into a little trouble with,' he said, but he paused for a split second, his eyes darting towards Hope in a manner that set George's teeth on edge, 'some of the Beacon lot.'

George had the distinct feeling that they were missing something, yet before he could question any of them the door was pulled open again.

'Well, we're popular,' muttered Lee, but he was grinning at the newcomers though.

Sophia was at the front, her eyes narrowed in an annoyance that had only one cause: her cousin Nieve. Wester was standing by one of her shoulders, a grin on his face as he nodded to the compartment in slight greeting. On the other side of Sophia were Sami Fawcett and Imogen Carlson. The former of the two looked as though she'd been away, her skin seemed to be more tanned than normal and her golden blonde hair was a few shades lighter. Imogen was leaning against the window though, shielding her hazel eyes from the sun as she squinted into the compartment. Her black hair was in sleek ringlets, a sure sign that she'd been bored over the holidays.

'I mean, seriously, how can anyone be so thick?' complained Sophia, her attention flickering towards the compartment. Her eyes seemed to linger on Scott and Stiles for a moment longer. 'Hello?'

'We were just leaving,' said Scott, grabbing Stiles by the elbow, as if realising the compartment wouldn't hold them all, and dragging his friend out.

'I'll be right back,' said Hope with a slight sigh, standing so as to follow the two boys.

'Tell them thanks,' George said softly as Hope went about hugging the new arrivals before starting down the corridor behind the others. He wasn't sure if she'd heard him or not, or if she knew what he'd meant by it, but he was certain that she'd shone him a quick, slightly sad smile.

'Personally, I blame Beacon Hills,' said Wester simply as the door slipped closed behind them. He dropped into the seat that Hope had vacated, and George raised an eyebrow at him. 'Well,' Wester explained, putting his hands behind his head and resting back in the seat, 'it does seem that that little lot have an awful lot of issues.'

'You do know Stilinski counts as an outlier, right?' asked Sophia, smirking slightly.

'Yeah, but did you see Erica?' Imogen piped up, slipping into the seat nearest the door.

'What'd you mean?' asked Lee, shifting so as pick up Barney to free another seat.

A smirk pulled at the corners of Sami's mouth as she settled down beside Wester. 'Well, let's just say the Ice Queen's not too happy with the transformation.'

Fred's brow furrowed in confusion. 'Wait, like the Erica who cried when we accidentally sent her through the wrong tapestry?'

'Yeah, _accidentally_ ,' said Wester with a slight scoff, he made sure to add air quotes as he spoke though. He winked at George before nodding. 'Yeah, her. And that.. Man, what's his name? That kid in your house?'

'Harry Potter?' tried George, chuckling when Wester rolled his eyes though.

'No, not him. Lay… Lahey?'

'I think they've added something to the water,' said Sophia simply, leaning back in her seat so as to rest her feet on Lee's knees.

The conversation stayed on topic of the strangeness of Beacon Hills for a while, before it eventually strayed off onto a number of topics – as it always did for their little group. They spoke about their latest Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, bring the twins up to date with the ideas they'd had while in Diagon Alley. They also spoke about their final year, about their plans once they'd officially left and what they could do to mark the occasion – though, the others had seemed somewhat reluctant to join in with Fred and George's idea of turning the Transfiguration courtyard into a swamp.

When they eventually decided it would be best to get ready the sky was slowly beginning to darken. The fields rushing past them seemed to be becoming emptier, the familiar countryside of Scotland which surrounded the school coming into view.

Hope ducked back into the compartment just before the train pulled to a stop.

'Where'd you end up?' asked George.

He watched as she pushed the hair off of her face, allowing him to notice a distinct look of concern behind her eyes. She sighed dramatically though, rolling her eyes as the train finally stopped. 'I swear, those two would lose their heads if they weren't superglued on or something.' She grinned, but George couldn't shake the feeling that there was something forced about it.

But, before he could say anything else Hope was swept off into a hug by Imogen.

The little group wandered towards the Thestral drawn carriages – Imogen had been able to see the things since she was little, and as such explained the things to the others during their first trip – flitting between various conversations though. Fred, George and Lee were towards the back, mainly discussing ideas about the shop. Wester and Imogen were in some kind of argument about their newest professor ('You can't place bets on that!' 'Why not, Immy? I mean, it's fair game, surely.') while the others were just ahead of them, talking about something that George couldn't quite hear.

'So, what'd you think?' George asked, pulling a piece of parchment from his pocket. He moved to show it to Lee, but the other boy had disappeared. He frowned over at Fred, who simply nodded towards the carriage they'd stopped at.

Lee was leaning out of i he carriage with a bright smile, his hand extended towards Sophia.

'Why thank you, kind Sir,' she practically purred, taking his hand lightly so that he could help her in.

'Four Galleons says he doesn't ask her out by the end of the year,' Wester whispered to Hope and George as they hung back to let the others in first.

'You're on,' said Hope, smirking as she shook his hand before George could say anything. George frowned at her. 'What?'

'You know Lee won't ask her out because he thinks she likes Wester, right?'

Hope chuckled slightly, patting George on the back as the carriage started off, the two of them almost hanging off the back. 'I had a bet going with,' she paused, the word seemed to die on her lips. But, after a moment she closed her eyes and gulped. 'I had a bet going with Ced that Lee wouldn't do it. So I'm gonna give Lee a little push in the right direction this year, I think.'

George noticed the slight waver to her voice, and when she opened her eyes he realised that there were tears beginning to well in them. He gave her a small smile, placing his hand lightly on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. 'I reckon that sounds like the plan for the year then,' he said.

When they reached the castle, Hope appeared to have lightened up again, and was back to talking business with the twins – and Lee whenever he could drag his attention away from Sophia. Lee jumped out before Sophia, and lifted her delicately out of the carriage. George caught Hope smirking over at Wester, who despite whistling at the action looked a little irritated.

Sophia then kissed Lee on the cheek in thanks, before waving over at some of her other friends and darting towards them. George noticed that there was a slight blush to Lee's cheeks, and he elbowed Fred in the ribs as a bright grin slipped quickly onto his face. His twin groaned slightly, rubbing his ribs, but his irritation was quickly replaced with an identical grin as George nodded towards Lee.

The rest of the group then peeled off, heading towards other friends who had rushed off into the cover of the castle. Hope, however, remained with the trio, still discussing ideas for the shop.

'What about–?' she started, but a familiar whooshing sound from the ceiling pulled their attention upwards. 'Peevesie-boy!' she said happily as the poltergeist dropped a water balloon on a passing third year Ravenclaw who was trying to magically dry his robes.

The little man swooped towards the quartet. He stopped just above their heads, bowing towards them with a wide grin on his face. George watched as Hope curtsied in reply, but the poltergeist was already saluting the boys in turn.

'Nice summer, Peeves?' asked George, saluting back despite how Peeves chucked another water balloon lazily over his shoulder, drenching a very irritated looking Jackson.

'If teasing Myrtle is nice, then yep,' said Peeves, smirking as he popped the p while turning upside-down.

Fred appeared to weigh the idea up before grinning. 'I'd say that counts,' he said simply, looking around at the others for confirmation. They nodded, slight smirks slipping easily onto their own faces.

'Got any new tricks up your sleeves to welcome our new Defence professor?' asked Lee, pushing his dreadlocks behind his ears.

Peeves' smile turned into something colder than the one which George was used to being faced with. A shiver ran down his spine as he looked over at Hope, who's expression appeared to reflect his own concern.

'Oohh,' said Peeves in his annoying sing-song way, it was as if he had the best news ever to share with them, 'you're gonna enjoy this year so much, my ickle leavers.'

He winked at them before blowing a raspberry and swooping off in search of more people to annoy.

'Is it just me who didn't like the sound of that?' came the serious voice of Kenneth, making the quartet jump.

'For once, Kenny,' said Hope, standing on her tiptoes so as to pat his shoulder blade slightly, 'I don't think you are.'

George couldn't help but agree. While he was thrilled for the pranks that they'd figured out to pull for the year, the ideas they'd had for the shop and the plans they had for testing them out, there was something disconcerting about what Peeves had said.


	4. Sophia: Intrusions and Transformations

Sophia practically skipped towards Carla and Lewis after she'd caught their attentions. She could still feel the blush to her cheeks after the incident with Lee, hoping that they'd cool off in the rain. But, as she clapped Carla on the back, she could still feel the warmth of her cheeks.

Carla chuckled slightly, but carried on talking to Lewis.

Sophia grinned, knowing that they were probably carrying on some argument or another that she'd completely missed, and as such turned her attention towards the castle. Even in the storm Hogwarts was still impressive. The many towers stood out against the dark blue sky, lights flickering in a few windows as if someone's attempt to make a polka dotted pattern against the sky. There was a stream of students rushing towards the doors, like little ants marching towards their nest, with hats pulled firmly over their heads in an attempt to protect themselves against the worst of the rain.

'So,' said Carla as they ducked into the Entrance Hall; Lewis rubbed a hand over his cropped dark blond hair, as if to dry it, while Carla was trying to ring out her black hair which seemed to be shorter than normal, 'how was your summer, Soph?'

Sophia groaned, tapping her wand on the top of her head. She didn't feel the warmth of the non-verbal drying spell though, and quickly muttered it before answering. 'It would've been great, cheers, had I not had to spent time in the family house. With my cousins. And my grandfather telling us all about his Muggle triumphs,' she explained with a sigh, leaning heavily against the wall. 'How about–?' she started, but she was cut off by an annoyingly familiar drawling voice.

'Didn't get transferred to Durmstrang then?'

The hairs on the back of Sophia's neck prickled. Carla shifted slightly, allowing Sophia to narrow her eyes on Draco Malfoy, who was swaggering towards them, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, who looked even more troll-like when wet in Sophia's opinion.

'Pity, you might've actually leant respect for Pureblood ideals there.' He gave her a highly patronising smile before turning on his heel and walking towards the Great Hall, waving towards Nieve, who Sophia was slightly proud of for brushing him off before she went back to flirting with some very muscular guy that she didn't recognise.

'One of these days that jumped up little whelp's gonna get it through his thick skull that those two don't have a brain cell between them to actually protect him with,' she mumbled darkly, the words coming out in an irritated tumble. She clenched her jaw slightly, folding her arms firmly across her chest as his blond hair disappeared into the Great Hall.

'I suppose you could do it,' said Lewis softly, 'we do finish this year, after all. Come on, we'd best get going,' he added the last with a nod towards the large oak doors that Snape was pulling closed.

Sophia followed the duo, muttering her goodbyes to them before skulking off towards the Slytherin table. She glanced along it, looking for someone familiar, before finally practically falling into the seat beside Danny.

The younger boy grinned at her. 'Someone's as cheerful as ever to be back,' he said, shifting in his seat so as to face her.

She shone him a false smile. 'Always happy to spend time with my dear cousin and her type of people,' she said, shooting a glare along the table towards Nieve. She noticed that Nieve was currently giggling at something that Blaise had said, though Sophia was glad to see that her friend looked slightly taken aback by the reaction.

But, just as she did so, she caught sight of the newest member of Hogwarts staff. She wondered how she'd missed he on the way in. She was relatively small looking, and there was something about her that reminded Sophia of a smug looking toad. The thing that made her stand out, however, was the sheer amount of pink that she was dressed in.

'Ah,' said Mitchell Zayaz softly, making Sophia jump slightly despite how she could practically hear the grin in his voice. She turned around so as to face him as he stepped over the bench beside her. His dark curly hair seemed to be messier than normal because of the storm, but there was still a smirk lighting his face. 'I see you've spotted out newest Defence professor then.'

'Her?' asked Sophia, pointing over her shoulder at pink-lady. Mitchell's smirk seemed to deepen, if that was possible. 'Are you sure she's not the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher, I mean, I don't see Hagrid.' She glanced over her shoulder, scanning the top table, just in case she'd somehow missed the half-giant.

Mitchell gave a slight chuckle, a sound which always seemed to brighten the room, even when in the darkened common room. 'I'm sure Grubbly-Plank's back,' he said, pointing towards the stern looking woman sat beside an unimpressed looking Flitwick.

Sophia was about to ask if he knew anything more about the woman in pink, but before she could the doors were pushed open and the hall fell silent. The first years trotted in, following Professor McGonagall who was walking briskly towards the top table. A few of them appeared to have the same swaggering arrogance that Nieve walked around with, but most of them looked terrified out of their minds, their eyes either darting around the staring students or else focused on the floor in an attempt to appear invisible if they couldn't see the eyes focused on them.

Sophia lent her elbow on the table so that she could look down the Slytherins. She watched in interest as the sorting went on, genuinely trying to enjoy the final one that she'd see. There was a pang of sadness in her chest because of the thought, but she knew that her lot would have something epic planned for their finale.

As the final student trotted off to their house table, Sophia could feel her stomach beginning to seemingly collapse in on itself through hunger. She always made sure that she'd have room for as much of the feast as she could, liking the selection that was put on. Yet, when she turned her attention back towards the plates in the hopes of seeing the wonderful array of food to choose from, a soft 'Hem, hem,' from the front of the hall seemed to catch the attention of every person.

Sophia felt slightly cheated, but cast a quick glance towards Hope who was sat at the table next to her. Hope's brow was furrowed in confusion, and she glanced quickly towards a very confused looking Scott. Hope quickly looked towards Sophia, who raised an eyebrow in a manner that asked 'Any idea what's going on?'

Hope shrugged slightly, giving her head a weak shake.

Sophia's attention flickered back towards the woman in pink, who had begun to talk.

The little speech that followed was one which Sophia was slightly surprised didn't put her to sleep. And, when it was finally over and the scattered applause that Dumbledore had started faded out, she was glad to see that the food was finally beginning to magically appear. Yet, she spared a glance over at Wester as she dumped a lump of mashed potato onto her plate.

'Any ideas what that was?' she asked, noticing that Scott and Hope had turned their attention towards the little conversation as well.

Wester ran a hand through his hair as he thought for a moment, his eyes darting up to the top table once more. 'I reckon,' he said slowly, as if still working it all out for himself, 'that it's the Ministry trying to keep an eye on Harry. Fudge doesn't believe that You-Know-Who's back –' he shot a slight look at Hope at this, as if worried that she might be hurt by the brushing over of Cedric, but Sophia smirked slightly as she realised the girl looked more irritated at the idea of Fudge's disbelief than anything '– so he wants to make sure he's got someone here at all times, without the excitement of the Tournament.'

'Or so he can stop it becoming big news if he turns out to be wrong, and You-Know-Who's back after all,' interjected Blaise.

Sophia looked up, noticing that the boy had slipped onto the other side of the table, a small smile on his face.

'Well,' said Wester, and Sophia looked at him just as he gave a dismissive shrug, 'it looks like he'll try to hush it up then.'

And, with that, he turned back towards his house table. Hope shrugged slightly, before turning to say something to Scott, and Sophia looked back towards her food. She was still turning over Wester's idea in her mind as she moved to pick up the gravy.

She shook her head though, she could think about it in the common room. Now, she just wanted to eat.

'So, you escaped then?' she asked Blaise, shovelling up a forkful of mash.

He grinned piling some food onto his own plate. 'Barely,' he said, casting a sideways glance down the other end of the table. 'Alright, Danny?'

Danny had turned his attention away from Jackson so as to join in with their conversation. Sophia noted that Malfoy was talking in a loud voice with Jackson about how he was glad that 'Hogwarts finally has a decent teacher.' She didn't even try to stop her eyes rolling as she put the fork in her mouth.

The feast went on as usual after the interjection from Professor Umbridge, and Sophia was proud to say that she hadn't actually hit Nieve, Malfoy or Jackson because of some Pureblood comment or another they'd made. Or because of how happy they seemed to be with the appointment of the Ministry worked. She instead spent most of her time laughing and joking with Blaise, when he wasn't flirting with a girl, and Danny who seemed to be getting irritated with the kissing up that Jackson already appeared to be practicing for the first lesson with Umbridge.

When Dumbledore finally dismissed them Sophia drifted over towards her little group of friends, who all appeared to have congregated at the bottom of the Grand Staircase.

'So?' she asked, leaning against the bannister as the twins moved up a couple of steps.

'The Ministry can't do this,' said Sami, and for once her pale grey eyes seemed to spark with something like annoyance.

'Technically,' started Wester, but the glare he received from their normally laidback friend stopped his teasing short.

'Don't worry,' said Lee lightly, patting Sami lightly on the shoulder, there was a slight smile on his face, 'she'll only last a year.'

'If that,' said George, and there was a slightly evil smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He cast a sideways glance as Fred, who's own mouth was curved into a smirk identical to his twins; the sight of it sent a shiver down Sophia's spine.

'Yeah, Moody didn't even get that. We'll be fine, Sami,' Fred said, pulling the girl into a slight side hug as Carla and Lewis wandered up towards them.

'Anyway,' said Sophia, noticing that some of their housemates were beginning to congregate around them, waiting to pull their friends to the common rooms, 'I'll see you lot in lesson.' She heard an assortment of goodnights, mumbled a few in return, before starting off through the sea of people towards the dungeons.

She pulled her cloak closer to her as she started down the stairs, already aware of the coldness that was creeping in. Her thoughts were back on the appointment of Umbridge though. Why had Dumbledore accepted the woman for the job? Surely he knew it was Fudge's way of keeping an eye on the school? And, even though she hated to admit it, even her grandfather knew that Fudge was incapable of doing his job as Minister very well.

She sighed, walking down the corridor towards the Slytherin common room, certain that her lot would probably discuss the whole thing the following day – if they had a free… and probably in lessons too. She frowned when she reached the portrait though. She didn't know the password. She mentally cursed herself, thinking up all the overtly Pureblood comments that she'd heard over the past few months to try and figure out which one it might be.

'It's _Pureblood's Rule_ ,' someone told her, making her jump slightly.

The girl standing behind Sophia had perfectly styled blonde hair, and was very pretty. Though, there was something oddly familiar and strikingly different about her at the same time. She seemed to radiate a confidence that so many of Nieve's friends did, but Sophia was certain the girl wasn't any closer to her cousin than she was.

'Thanks,' Sophia said slowly, trying to put a name to the face.

The girl let out a tinkling laugh that seemed far too forced for Sophia's liking. 'Erica,' the girl said simply, moving so as to enter the common room.

Sophia froze for a moment. The others hadn't been kidding when they said the little, and easily overlooked Erica Reyes had undergone a significant transformation over the course of the summer.

She sighed though, before entering the common room, her thoughts back to wondering about Umbridge and the coming year.

The usual buzz of sound was gone when Sophia entered the common room, and she noticed that all attention was on Erica. A few of the boys had slacked jaws, their eyes scanning the girl over in a way that made Sophia roll her eyes. She noticed that Nieve's eyes had darkened significantly, even in the dimly lit common room.

Erica didn't appear to be fazed by the greeting though, and she shone them all a bright smile before swaggering towards her dormitory. Conversations quickly restarted, as if there had been a silencing charm over them which had lifted suddenly.

'Who was that?' Blaise was asking anyone that would listen to him when Sophia perched herself on the arm of his armchair by the glass.

'Erica Reyes,' she said simply, her attention on the water just outside, wondering if she could catch a glimpse of the giant squid.

'You are joking?' said Mitchell disbelievingly. 'I swear she didn't look like that when we were in Beacon Hills.'

Sophia shrugged, glancing towards the others as Isla Elliott wandered towards them, the usual skip to her step. The girl looked about as pixie-like as ever, the random plaits in her dark brown hair appeared to be keeping the rest of it in a ponytail.

Her step appeared to falter slightly, and Sophia knew it was because of the slightly contemplative frowns on the boys' faces, but Isla quickly recovered herself, grinning brightly as she did a little jump before quickly sitting cross-legged in front of Mitchell.

'What did I miss?' she asked, smiling brightly at Sophia.

'Not a lot,' said Sophia simply, glancing across the common room.

She noticed that Pansy was trying to regain Draco's attention; Crabbe and Goyle were still gawping at the space where Erica had disappeared; a few of the boys from her year were talking, confusion evident on their faces. And then there were the girls. A few of the younger ones were whispering, trying to find out who the girl had been; a few of Erica's year appeared to be glaring at the space, muttering darkly about some illegal potions they supposed she'd found over the summer. Nieve, however, was trying to regain her composure with some of Jackson's friends.

'So, what's your take on our newest teacher?' asked Isla, quickly pulling Sophia's thoughts away from the hold Erica still appeared to have on the common room.

Mitchell groaned. 'Oh, I think this'll be the best year yet for Defence lessons,' he said, barely hiding the sarcasm from his voice though.

It fell short of its mark with Isla though. 'See, I don't think she'll be that good,' she said simply, resting the crown of her head on the arm of his seat.

'I'm with Isla on this,' said Blaise quickly, sending a sharp glare towards Mitchell.

'Hey, think yourself lucky, Mitch,' said Danny, leaning into their conversation as Jackson appeared to have gone to bed, 'we don't have anything important this year.'

A cruel smirk slipped quickly onto Mitchell's face as he glanced around at the others. 'Oh yeah,' he said, as if only just realising the rest of the group had O. and N.E. coming up, 'I forgot about that. Well, see you again next year then,' he said, ruffling Isla's hair.

Something of irritation clouded Isla's features for a moment, taking Sophia aback slightly, but the look was gone as quickly as it had appeared. 'No you won't,' she said simply, her voice taking up a slight sing-song quality as she stood up, 'I did extra reading over the summer. Even if Umbridge teaches us how to sing the alphabet backwards in Troll for the year rather than anything useful, I should be fine.' She sent them a bright smile before waving a goodnight, and leaving them to it.

Sophia couldn't shake the feeling that they'd all sorely underestimated the pink-toad-lady. Her interruptions at the feast had shown how little regard she had for the way the school had been run thus far. And her little cough was already beginning to grate on Sophia.

'You know what, Mitch,' she said, stifling a yawn as she turned her attention back towards the window, 'you might just be seeing _all_ of our year resitting Defence this year.'

 _A/N: This'll probably be the last update for a while as I have other things to work on - I wanted to edit this anyway (might try doing the one before, as was suggeted). It might possibly return - I don't know yet I'm afraid - but thanks for reading it so far, it means a lot :) and sorry about that._


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